Still dancing to Beenie Man: is enjoying the music of homophobic reggae artists a self-hating act?

Two years ago, my church in New York City was preparing for its annual festival, its biggest fund-raiser of the year. The church's youth group, of which I was part, was asked to choreograph a dance. There was no brainstorming needed, we knew what song to do--Beenie Man's "Chi Chi Man." I can remember our dance--the smooth rhythm as it drummed in my head, the sound of the beat as it rang in my ears, and the grind of the music running through my body.

It wasn't until a few months ago, when gay activist Keith Boykin initiated a campaign to bar antigay reggae artists from performing at a concert by HIV/AIDS charity Lifeboat, that I learned "Chi Chi Man" was actually about killing gay men. Now I think it's disgusting and perverse. But to my surprise, a lot of other young gays don't feel the same way.

Reggae used to conjure images of peace-loving artists like Bob Marley. Now it's dominated by more aggressive "dancehall" artists like Buju Banton, Beenie Man, and Sizzla, all of whom have written homophobic songs, some of which advocate the murder of gays. "I have Beenie Man's songs on my iPod--they're hot," says gay 18-year-old Ronald Martinez. "Even though I know they're homophobic, I kind of put that aside and just listen to the beat."

It's upsetting that gays are still fans of notoriously homophobic artists, says 29-year-old Clay Cane, who operates the blog ClayCane.net and was part of Boykin's protest. "If we don't say anything, then no one would feel like [hateful artists and lyrics] are wrong," says Cane. "I've been to Jamaica, and I cannot begin to describe some of the internal hell [their gays] are enduring. They told me they appreciate how people are speaking against these artists, because when it finally does get back to Jamaica, there is that little gay boy or girl who maybe for a moment doesn't hate themselves."

But the solution isn't censorship, says Samantha Gellar, 24, an LGBT anticensorship activist, who argues that gay people have a right to enjoy music of their choice, even ff it disparages them. "While [homophobic] artists are a nuisance, they reach a small audience and do not have any political pull," she says. "Their homophobic lyrics are minor in comparison to the rest of what they say, and [their antigay messages] aren't easily understood. By canceling these shows, we gays bring more media to the issue as well as condone censorship."

Ginna Wallape, another fan of reggae, agrees. "When you look at any other form of entertainment, there's always something inappropriate," the 23-year-old lesbian says. "That's the nature of expression. We don't see Wagner concerts being canceled because he was [anti-Semitic]. Yet should these artists have their music shut down because of perverted political views?"

But a movement to shut them down has gained support. Lesbian activist Jasmyne Cannick led efforts that eventually forced the cancellation of several Banton shows during his fall 2006 American tour. What was Banton's message to her and the other gay activists? "Fuck them," according to Billboard.com.

For his part, Boykin says he isn't giving orders to anyone. "It's a free country," he says. "People can listen to whatever they want to listen to. The real issue is about integrity. If you're listening to music that condemns you, that's a little troubling."